Austin
by virginiagirl101
Summary: A year after Bad Wolf Bay part 2, and her subsequent leaving of London, Rose calls the Doctor up. 10.5/Rose. Songfic based on the Blake Sheldon song. Read and review.


**AN: I heard this song, and I knew I had to write a songfic to it. I wanted to do something more with Doctor Who, so I thought about it, and decided to do this. Let me know what you think, reviews are love ****. **

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING, if I did, Jack would never have left, Rose would also be immortal, and the Doctor would have confessed his love for her a LONG time ago. BBC own Doctor Who, Blake Sheldon owns Austin.**

**Summary: A year after arriving back in Pete's world and leaving London, Rose calls up the duplicate doctor. **

Austin

_**She left without leavin' a number  
Said she needed to clear her mind  
He figured she'd gone back to Austin  
'Cause she talked about it all the time**_

When The Doctor got to work and looked at the calendar, he was momentarily taken aback. According to the date, it had been one year. One year since they had arrived in London after Bad Wolf Bay part two. One year since Rose had informed him that while she was glad he was there and all, she really needed time to think it over. Apparently, a biological metacrises was harder to wrap your head around than regeneration. He had been willing to give Rose all the time she needed, but then she'd left. She'd left in the night, without telling him. All he'd gotten was a note that informed him she was sorry. No name, no location, and no I love you. Absolutely nothing. He figured she'd decided to travel, because she had always enjoyed it.

_**It was almost a year before she called him up  
Three rings and an answering machine is what she got**_

Rose looked out the window and sighed. It had been a year since she had left him behind. She had missed him every day she was gone, but she needed to wrap her mind around certain things. Mainly the whole him splitting in two and becoming human and the she was once again trapped in this world but this time she had the man she loved with her parts. Over her year of traveling, she had come to terms with these two things, and was currently staying in a hotel in London. Nobody knew she was back, not even her parents. He deserved to know she was back first, considering she hadn't even told him she loved him since Bad Wolf Bay part 1.

She was leaning on the counter that led into the kitchen when she called him up. She didn't know what to expect, but it went straight to voice mail.

_**If you're callin' 'bout the car I sold it  
If this is Tuesday night I'm bowling  
If you've got somethin' to sell, you're wastin' your time, I'm not buyin'  
If it's anybody else, wait for the tone,  
You know what to do  
And P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you**_

As soon as his message came on, she grinned to hear his voice again.

"If you're calling about the car, I sold it so too bad. If it's Tuesday night, I'm probably at the pub with my work mates, so I won't be answering the phone until tomorrow afternoon. If you're calling to sell something, I feel sorry for you. However, I will not buy anything, as I don't need it, so just hang up, you're wasting valuable time. If it's anyone else just do the usual at the tone, you hopefully know what to do. Oh, and p.s. if this is Rose Tyler, well, I still love you.

_**The telephone fell to the counter  
She heard but she couldn't believe  
What kind of man would hang on that long  
What kind of love that must be  
She waited three days, and then she tried again  
She didn't know what she'd say,  
But she heard three rings and then**_

When she heard the last line, she dropped the telephone onto the counter. Did he really just say I love you? Pronouncing it to the world that he cared about her as more than a friend? Pronouncing it to her, on the off chance that she would call. Well, he always did like hope. And if he said it, he must have meant it. From the sound of it, he changed his message every day, or at least every week so it must be recent. She hadn't been expecting him to have friendly feelings for her let alone this. Sure, she knew he was The Doctor. And she knew The Doctor loved her. But he was human, and almost every human would have given up on her by now.

Three days later, she'd finally wrapped her head around this information and decided to call again. The phone rang, and then she heard his message.

_**If it's Friday night I'm at the ballgame  
And first thing Saturday, if it don't rain  
I'm headed out to the lake  
And I'll be gone, all weekend long  
But I'll call you back when I get home  
On Sunday afternoon  
And P.S. If this is Austin, I still love you**_

"If it's Friday night I'm at the football game. And first thing Saturday, if it doesn't rain, I'm going to Blackpoll, and I'll be gone almost the whole week. Have no fear, though, 'cause I'll call you back when I get home Sunday. And, Rose Tyler, I still love you."

_**Well, this time she left her number  
But not another word  
Then she waited by the phone on Sunday evenin'**_

Rose took a deep breath and rattled off her number. Then, she quickly hung up the phone, unable to say anything else. She spent the weekend hanging around the hotel room, working up what she could say to him. On Sunday evening, it finally rang.

_**And this is what he heard**_

When The Doctor got back from his trip to Blackpool, he was a mess. He was exhausted, due to the fact that he had been sent there for work and not play. He was emotionally exhausted as well, because he still hadn't heard from Rose, and was beginning to lose hope. He got home early in the morning Sunday and proceeded to collapse on the bed and fall asleep in his jeans and t-shirt. When he woke up, he took a shower, shaved, and set about checking his answering machine, which was beeping that he had six messages.

"Doctor, you're coming to the mansion Tuesday for dinner. I don't want to hear about work keeping you away, because you have Tuesday off as of now. You are as thin as a rake, and when Rose comes back you'll collapse of exhaustion from one measly hug. No arguments and I'll see you then."

He grinned; trust Jackie Tyler to convince her husband to give him the day he was due to have dinner with them off. He had been receiving weekly invitations to dinner with them since Rose left, but most of the time he begged off for work. She had obviously decided to reconcile the fact. It seemed he had plans Tuesday.

"Hello, I'm from Cooler Industries," beep. He deleted that message, just the latest in the long time of calls trying to sell thing that would keep his various possessions at a proper temperature.

The next two were just breathing, and he deleted them both. It was the last one that gave him pause.

"111-555-6666," it was just a number, but the voice he'd recognize anywhere. Rose.

He felt frozen as her voice caused a hundred different memories rush through his head. He quickly grabbed the phone and dialed her number, not daring to believe.

_**If you're callin' 'bout my heart  
It's still yours  
I should've listened to it a little more  
Then it wouldn't have taken me so long to know where I belong  
And by the way, boy, this is no machine you're talkin' to  
Can't you tell, this is Austin, and I still love you**_

"If you're calling about my heart and soul, it's still yours. It's always been yours, and it always will be yours. I really should learn to listen to it more, because I would've figured out that I belong with you, no matter what, a long time ago. Oh, and in case you hadn't realized, this isn't my answering machine. Can't you tell, Doctor, I'm Rose Tyler, and I still love you."

_**I still love you**_

"Where are you," he breathed out quickly.

"In my hotel."

"Oh."

"My London hotel."

"Really? You're really here?"

"Yes, Doctor, I'm really here."

"Name a place, I'll meet you."

"How about the bridge where you missed the London Eye."

"You've got a deal."

Really, the reunion wasn't very surprising. It was, after all, Rose Tyler and her Doctor. The running hug was impressive, and the kiss rivaled Bad Wolf Bay part two.

Later on, in his apartment, curled up on the couch, Rose finally got to tell him to his face.

"I love you."

He kissed her. And really, it was the only thing he could do.


End file.
